


Heart of Ice

by Yamaguchi_Stardust



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Eventual Major Character Death, Fighting, Ice and Fire AU, Idk how gruesome the details will get wwehhh, Love, M/M, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Royalty AU, kingdom au, possible war, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:31:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12928527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamaguchi_Stardust/pseuds/Yamaguchi_Stardust
Summary: Prince Sugawara is one of two possible heirs to the throne, him being the eldest, and Prince Kageyama being the younger, but unfortunately for him, Sugawara was born without the magical powers that royalty of the Ice Kingdom of Karasuno are /supposed/ to have. He knows he will most likely lose the throne to his younger brother, and with a grudge he has been holding against Kageyama since he was born, Sugawara has grown into a cold, bitter man.The only ones who see this side of him, though, are his family and dear friend and second in command, Asahi.One day though, Prince Sugawara goes out into the forest and runs into someone from the Fire Kingdom, also located in Karasuno, but long enemies of the Ice Kingdom. Fortunately - or unfortunately - Sugawara has always been attracted to warmth, and soon his curiosity gets the best of him as he builds a new friendship with this strange boy from the kingdom over.Will Sugawara be able to keep this friendship strong with the rising issue of the kingdoms going to war? Will he ever tell his new friend that he is actually a prince of the Ice Kingdom? Will he fall in love?And more importantly...Could his ice cold heart be warmed?





	1. Blue Veins

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyy I started this for a Daisugawinterweekend event off of Tumblr, and since finals are next week, I'll be able to flesh it out over winter break!! Yay!!  
> But my writing also isn't the best, so bear with me, haha  
> Comments and feedback are always appreciated!! Hope you enjoy :)

Sugawara paced the floors of ice, his footsteps light and slow. He had traced the entire second level of the castle for the thirtieth time, and he was slowly driving his second in command crazy.

“You're gonna wear a hole through the ice,” he complained, walking sluggishly over to the gray haired boy. Sugawara barely lifted his head in acknowledgement before pacing the library room once more.

“That's impossible, you worry body. These floors may be ice, but they're supported by magic.” He sighed as he stopped to survey the frosted tomes in his collection. They were nearly impossible to tell apart from one another, but he knew each book and place by heart. His fingers brushed over a blue bound book - only visible within its cold cover - and he took it down as Asahi sighed.

“You're going to make me go gray way too early.”

“And is that a bad thing?” Sugawara tapped on the front of the book, huffing when he found the book to be tightly sealed within the frost. It would take magic to melt through the layer, something he didn't have.

It was a rather sore subject for the prince. Royal blood were vessels for the winter magic their kingdom boasted, but he was one and the only in the kingdom to not have inherited this gift from his parents.

He glared down at his chilled hands, the blue veins standing out quite prominently on his pale skin. Those traitorous blue veins, frozen like the room around them, and about as useless too.

“Ahhhh of course not! My apologies!” Asahi reddened and quickly bowed, taking the book from Sugawara’s hands and tapping the cover, which melted away almost instantly. Sugawara smiled, thanking his friend for the help. There was something about the warmth of his friend, the melting of ice, that pulled at the strings in his heart. It was nice to have a change from the ice cold that radiated from the land and the people.

“I think I ought to make you sorry more often,” he chuckled as he flipped through the pages, offering no explanation for his words and leaving the already confused man, well, more confused. Sugawara’s  eyes came to a stop on the page before he ripped it out.

“Please don-HEYY you can't do that!!” Asahi gaped at Sugawara as the boy retreated out of the library, not bothering to put the book back, but discarding it on the floor. “You can't do that either!! Suuugaaaa!!” He hurriedly shelved the book and ran after him, sliding out on the ice. 

Sugawara kept up a decent stride for someone who couldn't use magic to balance himself on the ice, and Asahi found it hard to keep up with him.

“Hey, slow down a minute, won't you??” Sugawara stopped abruptly. Poor Asahi slid right into him, yelping as he fell down on top of the prince.

“You could at least take me to dinner first,” Sugawara smirked, garnering something between a shriek and an unsatisfying gulping sound from his friend. 

“Suga!!!”

“I'm kidding.” He brought his foot around to kick at Asahi’s butt, laughing at the sputtering protests his friend spouted out.

“You two shouldn't do that out in the hall,” a small, monotone voice carried from the hall next, a small head of black hair poking out, icy blue eyes piercing through the scene as he clutched the wall. The boy was even paler than Sugawara, and a great deal more fragile too. The problem with their magic was that it left the host weaker. You could tell how strong a person's magic was based off of how strong they were.

Prince Kageyama was so weak that he had been confined to the second floor of the castle for the past several years.

Sugawara’s smile faded the second he saw his younger brother, and his frown deepened when he felt Asahi’s warmth leave him when the other stood up. It was rather selfish of him to siphon warmth from people so greedily, but he couldn't help the lust for warmth, in any form. 

“Wewerentdoinganything,” Asahi yelps, bowing low to the prince, who widened his eyes in response. Kageyama slowly drew away from the wall, reaching out to Asahi after he took a couple steps forward. The big man held onto his elbows, righting the boy. 

“Thank you.” Kageyama looked to his brother, then to the crumpled page in his hand. “What's that?”

“None of your business,” Sugawara snapped. Ashai frowned disapprovingly at him, but he shook it off. “You shouldn't be out of your room. Wouldn't want you to snap in half, would we?”

Kageyama's small blue eyes dropped along with his head as he muttered out a half hearted apology, pitifully coughing into the crook of his elbow a second later.

‘How pitiful’ Sugawara sniffed disdainfully to himself before turning on his heel and continuing down the hall. Asahi shouted after him, catching up a minute later after a hurried apology to the small prince. 

“Sugawara,” he huffed, “what the hell, man? Would it kill you to be nice to your little brother? Things are already tough as it is for him.”

“Forgive me if I don't believe inheriting the magic bloodline and eventual throne on a silver platter to be my idea of ‘tough’.” Asahi grabbed his shoulder, but he easily slid out from the grasp.

“It's not like he chose to be born like that, just as much as you didn't choose to be powerless.” Sugawara growled and twirled around, jabbing Asahi in the side with his flattened palm.

“Don't you  **_dare_ ** throw that at me,” he hissed stomping off towards the stairs. “Just piss off!!”

“You know, the kingdom might be covered in ice,” Asahi yelled angrily at his back, “but you are the coldest!”

He regretted his words a minute later and ran after him

~~~

Sugawara was long gone by the time Asahi started after him, not bothering to have put on a coat or boots as he walked barefoot out into the snow. He breathed the sharp, unforgiving air in, watching as his breath froze on the air. The cold didn't bother those in the ice kingdom of Karasuno, and even though Sugawara was without magic, he too was immune to the freezing temperatures. Still, his toenails were a hazy shade of blue as he walked along, crunching the snow underneath his feet.

He walked down from the castle, picking out a path that let him slip into the forest unseen. It had been a while since he had last visited the wooded area, the last time having been with Asahi when they hunted  snow hares. Now, he paid little attention to the furry little nuisances bounding down the trail. It even brought the slightest smile to his usually composed facade while he followed them. He hummed a soft tune to himself, pausing in both tune and step when he came to a hill, a rather large chunk of tree sitting idly by the crest, almost daring him to jump on and slide down.

When was the last time he went sledding?

The grin on his face became more and more evident as he carefully sat down on the makeshift sled and pushed his body weight over to the hill. One last push, and he was flying down the hill. 

It was such a surreal feeling to go flying down a hill on nothing but a chunk of tree bark. With the wind nipping at every inch of bare flesh like a lover ready to ravish, it was no surprise that Sugawara’s frame colored, despite the fact that the cold bothered him in no way. His teeth chattered excitedly behind the blue gates of his lips, and a second later, he threw his hands in the air. 

This proved to be a terrible decision, for when the tree bark hit a lump in the snow he went flying, eating the snow as he went down.

“Oh gosh, are you okay?” A voice rang out as Sugawara slowly inched up from the snow. He didn't mind the chill nipping at him, or his lungs screaming for air. 

Ahh, if someone else hadn't been there, perhaps he could have died peacefully in a blanket of snow, to be found later by his friend. It would have been a beautifully tragic ending.

Was he sassing himself?

Yes...yes he was. He would have to work on that.

Sugawara blinked the snow out of his eyes as he sat up, brushing the snow from his body.

“Yes, yes I'm fine,” he replied curtly, shaking his head and watching as the small flakes flew from his gray head.

His parents and friends had said it was platinum.

The mirror told him otherwise.

When he looked to the voice - it couldn't have been Asahi - he was pleasantly surprised to find a tall boy crouched down, bundled in several layers head to toe. Sugawara couldn't help but laugh.

“What?? What's so funny??” The boy asked, panicked. His raven black hair stuck out awkwardly beneath his hat, and the three scarves he had on muffled what he was trying to say. Luckily, he could project. 

“What clothing store did you rob?” Sugawara arched a brow up, his lips pursing in amusement. Coats and scarves and things were nice for decoration, but not needed. Why did this boy have so many on then? He could've at least had the decency to match the articles of clothing, but he stuck out like a sore thumb with coats of muddled yellow, gaudy green, and reds, blues, and oranges all over. Was this kid colorblind??

The other looked on at Sugawara, looking like a confused, multicolored marshmallow.

“I didn't...I would never rob anyone,” he said in a softer voice, surveying the gray haired boy in front of him who wore only pants and a thin white shirt. “Though if anyone would rob a clothing store, it would have to be you! Good god, man, how are you not dead yet?? Your feet, hands, and lips are turning  _ blue _ . I'm not sure if you're aware, but humans don't come in that color naturally.” It was Sugawara’s turn to be confused as the boy stripped a coat and a couple scarves off, guiding his arms through the plush sleeves and wrapping the scarves around his feet. “Don't worry, I know a shortcut back home. You really shouldn't be out like this without proper equipment and protection!!”

The boy hadn't given Sugawara a second to argue before he stood up and offered a hand and a smile.

“Well? Aren't you coming?”


	2. Throw Caution to the Wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosssshhhhhh this took forever to update...I am sooooo sorry T_T Life has been kicking me in the butt, especially since I'm taking 18 credits at Uni right now (six classes) so I have almost no free time ever *cries* but I'm on Spring Break as of yesterday, so hopefully I can flesh out a few more chapters before I have to head back to my classes.  
> I hope you enjoy this! My chapters are fairly short, but I hope to either make them longer as I go, or at least give you a ton of chapters. That's my goal at least.   
> Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling. Am I rambling?? Heck, I'm rambling. Enjoy the chapter!!

Sugawara felt awkwardly uncomfortable as the stranger guided him deeper into the woods, keeping up a one sided conversation about winter attire and how he should invest in a pair of skis. While Sugawara couldn't disagree with the latter, he became more confused by the second. Either this boy had no sense of direction, or he was purposely leading him somewhere to be jumped. Asahi was always warning him of the thieves and assassins that littered the forests, ready to pounce on whatever victim fell into their trap. 

He would have ditched the boy if he truly felt that was the case, but that was what was confusing him. If he planned to rob him further into the forest, then why had he bothered to give him his coat and scarves? And if he wanted to kill him, he had had the perfect opportunity to do so while he was buried face down in the snow. 

Yes, this boy was a stranger, but Sugawara felt oddly compelled to follow him, even if it was out of stupid curiosity. Heck, if he turned out to be a thief, he'd have to applaud him for his strange tactics. 

“What's your name?” The boy said after a minute of silence proved Sugawara mute in the conversation. 

“Pardon?”

“Your name,” he repeated, “I'm assuming you have one.”

“Of course I do,” Sugawara scowled. He moved aside a snow laden branch so he could follow the boy on the self made trail they were walking. He didn't know who he was? Boy, was he in for a surprise. Should he tell him? “I'm Suga,” he decided on, settling for the nickname that Asahi had given him when they were little and wanted to play outside of the castle without gathering unwanted attention. 

The boy smiled back at him. “Suga, is it? Nice to meet you. You'll have to forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Sa-...Daichi. You can call me Daichi."

They didn't converse much after that either, but at least Sugawara knew his name now. The heavily snow laden forest was vast, Sugawara knew, but he was surprised when he first noticed the snow melting off of a row of trees they were passing.

“Hey,” he said, pausing to examine the trees more carefully. Now that he looked around, there wasn't a whole lot of snow on the ground either, and he couldn't find the icicles that clustered on the trees. “It's...getting warmer.”

Daichi looked over and nodded, gesturing to the landscape around them.

“That's because we're getting closer to the kingdom. Are you as unobservant as you are insane?” Daichi teased, receiving a scowl from the gray haired boy across from him.

“I'm the insane one? Why would the snow melt closer near the kingdom?” Daichi stared at him quietly, then frowned before inching closer to him.

“Are you sure you didn't hit your head on your way down that hill? The West gate is lined with fire pits and ashenros, so the snow tends to melt along the border. Maybe we should have a doctor check you out once we get back.” Sugawara’s mind raced as Daichi gently placed a hand on his back after a few minutes and guided him in the direction of the enormous white gate in a clearing just beyond the trees they were stopped at. His heart pattered in alarm as he slowly started to realize what was going on, and where Daichi was taking him. 

“This is the fire kingdom,” he muttered in disbelief, staring at the white wooden gate doors standing threateningly in front of him. Daichi chuckled, but still retained a look of concern for Sugawara.

“Yes, yes it is. Do you go in and out through a different gate? I know this one isn't used as much, mainly because it lays on the forest border to the...ice kingdom,” he clears his throat, showing discomfort in his tone, “but call me crazy, I like the snow.” 

The gates opened a minute later, and Daichi ushered Sugawara inside. He would have liked to say that his discomfort to the situation outweighed his curiosity, but even if Daichi hadn't been there to steer him through the entrance, he probably would have gone in eventually. And he was glad that he did, for the sight that met him left the already quiet boy speechless.   

The guard that had let them in leaned lazily on a drooping tree, the pale yellow leaves standing out on its chestnut bark. Trees just like it lined the pathway from the gate, with handfuls of ashenros - a crimson colored flower with a diamond-like shape - littered amongst them. 

There were a lot of firsts for Sugawara in that moment. It was the first time he had truly seen a tree, at least one not covered in snow and icicles. He had only ever seen the pine trees and bare wooden trunks in his kingdom before. It was also the first time he had seen flowers before, seeing as the cold inhibited any growth. Sugawara bent down near a patch of the flowers, crouching comfortably low enough so he could examine them. The books in his library had shown many pictures and had told of how beautiful the wide variety of flowers could be, but Sugawara was convinced that nothing could capture the true, breathtaking awe of such things in a few measly, ink bound sentences.

Daichi silently observed the strange boy as he prodded the flower’s boxy petals, no doubt enamoured by the warmth being emitted by the flowers.

“I never knew they could do this,” Sugawara murmurs, wrapping his fingers around the stem with every intent to pluck it from the ground. 

“Hey, you might not want to do that,” Daichi said gently as he walked over to where Sugawara was and crouched next to him, “they lose their ability to radiate warmth if you cut them. Here, why don't we…” Sugawara watched as Daichi started digging into the dirt until the flowers were pulled up by the root. He cupped one hand around the dirt encrusted roots and took off one of his scarves with the other, wrapping the base of the flower up in the oddly colored accessory. Daichi gave a little puff of satisfaction before offering the newly wrapped flowers to Sugawara, who took them with only slight hesitation.

Would it be too rude to say “thanks for the flowers” and then ditch? Sugawara had never been one to really think through his actions, or whether said actions would affect other people. He  _ was _ , after all, the prince of the ice kingdom. It wasn’t expected of him. But right here, right now...Sugawara couldn’t find the courage to break away.

“They will need to be put in a vase before long,” Daichi broke the silence as he stood up and offered Sugawara a hand up. He couldn’t decide whether to be irked or grateful for the gesture, but took his hand anyway and stood up. “Ashenros don’t really need a lot of water to grow, but they can’t survive without it either. We can ask Tanaka for a vase or pitcher when we get to his house.”

Sugawara arched an eyebrow.

“Tanaka?”

“Oh, sorry,” Daichi apologized sheepishly, looking out of the corner of his eyes, “he’s a friend of mine, a doctor. I just thought you might...I mean, it’s probably best if you...since your head and...yeah.”

“Why are you so incessant on the fact that  _ I _ am the one acting strangely,” Sugawara shook his head, suddenly feeling really uneasy about being in a foreign land - an  _ enemy _ kingdom at that - with an equally as foreign boy that was wanting to lead him further in. “Besides, I’m pretty sure I should be leaving soon…”

“At least let him check you out, please.” Sugawara studied Daichi’s face. He didn’t look like much of a threat, not with that pitying look washed on his face. He truly looked concerned. Sugawara wondered if the strange new boy who had led him, the prince of the ice kingdom, would still look as concerned and still be as friendly if he had known that he had unknowingly let the enemy into his kingdom.

Another thought poked in the recesses of Sugawara’s mind. This was  _ the _ fire kingdom, the one that he had only heard about in crowded dining halls, or read about on half frozen pages in the library. How many others could say that they had stepped foot into the fire kingdom? How many others knew what lie beyond those gates, and what happened within those walls?

If there was one thing Sugawara was good at, it was talking himself into potentially dangerous situations. Asahi bore the brunt of the anxiety and alarm attached to these decisions, but he was the only level headed one that could talk Sugawara out of these kinds of situations, and surprise surprise, he wasn’t here.

“Well, if you won’t leave me alone until then, I guess I’ll have to,” Sugawara resigned, the edges of his lips slightly piqued at the thought of the coronary Asahi would have had if he knew where Sugawara was and what he was doing. ‘You left with a stranger, entered into the enemy’s kingdom, AND forgot to put shoes on?!’ He could hear him gasping in his deep yet fragile tone.

“I don't mean to bother you,” Daichi said with a frown, “I'm just concerned, that's all.”

“You sound like my friend,” Sugawara retorted, allowing a small smile on his face. Daichi seemed surprised at this gesture, eyebrows briefly raising up before he too was smiling. 

“Would your friend insist on you seeing a doctor as well?”

“Well, you see,” Sugawara’s grin grew wider, “he'd probably need one more than me at this point.” 

~~~

Kageyama’s eyes glazed over as he tried to reread the same sentence for what felt like the hundredth time. He was exactly three hundred and forty pages into the thick tome his father had set aside for him to read in his spare time - which happened to be frequent due to his condition - but of those three hundred and forty pages read, he only really remembered the two pages of introduction that had insisted on how great of a read this book was.

Kageyama couldn’t tell who was better at lying, the author of the boring and rather snobbish book, or his father for suggesting it’d be a great book for him to read.

Sure, it was probably a rather interesting book for his father, King Takeda, seeing as it was a rather extensive history of their kingdom, but to Kageyama it was all so incredibly dull and repetitive.

_ Royal member becomes king. Kingdom continues with its mundane life. War happens. Bye bye king. New king takes throne.  _

There were no details of what the king did in his spare time - other than train for war and keep the kingdom in check - or for fun, what friends he may have had, what his family life was like, if he prefered cats over dogs, or what his favorite song would have been. It was just a brief, boring history of each king that had ever ruled, each new king stacking onto the other pages and adding to the thickness of the book. He hadn’t gotten to the end yet, where he knew his father’s rule was still being recorded and added on to, but he was already so lost in the history that he was fairly certain that he could gloss over the last pages without having even known that he was reading about his father.

And the end...that was another thing that bothered him about the book. It was always changing; his father had even sat him down one day to tell him to pay close attention to each entry, each rule, as his own would be added to the end some day. It had confused him then, and still confused him. He was the youngest of the two princes; wouldn’t Sugawara take the throne?

Kageyama snapped out of his thoughts when he heard someone timidly knocking on the door, someone he could only assume was Asahi.

“Come in,” Kageyama said after clearing his throat and putting a scrap piece of paper in the book as a marker. The giant commander cautiously opened the door, eyes glancing around the room before resting on the young boy.

“Ah,” he started, pausing to bow slightly, “forgive me for interrupting.”

“You’re not interrupting anything of importance,” Kageyama responded with a faint smile. He weakly clutched on to the blanket spread across his shoulders. “Is there something that you wanted?” Asahi took a couple more steps into the room and nodded fervently.

“You...haven’t seen your brother around here, by chance...have you?” Kageyama could hear the slight panic in Asahi’s voice that the commander was inclined to do whenever he was worried about Sugawara. Kageyama was fairly good at picking up on little quirks others had, including Asahi’s worried tone, his father’s habit of pushing up his glasses when he was frustrated...and Sugawara’s change in overall behavior whenever he entered a room. Speaking of Sugawara, where was he?

“No, I haven’t seen him.” His chest fell with a deep sigh as he wracked his already mentally drained brain for the last time he had seen his brother. “I think I saw him last in the hall with you…” When Kageyama looked up next, Asahi’s face had paled a shade lighter, even though the guy was trying to keep a rather calm and collected posture.

“Ah, alright. I’ll keep looking then.”

“Why, has he been gone all day?” Kageyama broached. The chair he was sitting on made a slight creaking noise when he pushed his spine flush against the back of it. He winced slightly at the effort it took just to keep a straight position, and he almost lost it when a chill went down along his own back. Asahi seemed to notice and took a step forward to help him.

“Yes, and since he didn’t tell anyone where he was going, I’m a bit concerned.” Asahi tried to help Kageyama adjust comfortably in the chair, but politely stepped back when Kageyama gently refused him.

“He doesn’t talk to a lot of people, I’ve noticed,” he responded quietly with his eyes shut, “but I wouldn't be too concerned. He does this sort of thing all the time, does he not?”

“Well...yes, but that doesn’t make me any less worried.”

“You’re a good friend, Asahi-san, but don’t let my brother push you to the end of your rope. You’re not his babysitter. You’re the second in command. Besides, I’m sure if he were in any real trouble, we would all know by now.” Asahi smiled warmly at the prince.

“Ah, you’re right. Forgive me for bothering you.” He gave the prince another small bow.

“I already told you, you’re not bothering or interrupting me. I appreciate the company just as much as my brother does.”

“If he enjoys my company so much, then why does he run off on his own even more?” Asahi sighed, knowing full well that wasn’t a question Kageyama could answer. “Would you like me to fetch one of the kitchen maids to start a pot of tea for you, my prince?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Kageyama watched Asahi’s retreating figure through slivered eyes - after he had bowed for yet  _ another _ time - and he felt a new, odd sort of pang in his chest. His brother was lucky to have such a caring friend. No, scratch that, his brother was lucky to have a friend at all. He was lucky to be able to walk around freely without being plagued by pains and chills that coursed through his cursedly blessed veins every time he took a step, stretched out a limb, or breathed.

He turned his gaze out to the window, where the sun was still a few hours shy of setting. What was the world like outside that castle window? What was the world like, the one that his brother got to see? Where was his brother, right now, and what was it that he was doing?

Whatever the answer, wherever he may be, Kageyama wished he could be there as well. Free from the supposed gift that had been passed down to him, and free to live the life he felt was robbed from him. Yes, his brother was so lucky. He wished he could be more like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me! :)  
> Comments are always appreciated!!


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